


"Goodbye, Old Friend"

by Ryans_Shadow



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied Relationships, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Selectively Mute Gordon Freeman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25613254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryans_Shadow/pseuds/Ryans_Shadow
Summary: I thought this might be good enough to post, since I was quite proud of it. I plan on possibly writing and/or posting more Half-Life (and possibly Freehoun) content in the future.
Relationships: Barney Calhoun/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	"Goodbye, Old Friend"

"Doc, are ya sure goin' through here is safe? What if we get attacked or found ou-" Gordon put his hand over Barney's mouth, shushing him.

He then moved his hand away from the other's mouth. _[We're going to get caught if you don't be quiet, Barns. Now just relax and we'll be fine.]_ He signed to Barney, grabbing his arm and pulling him to follow.

"..Didn't think we'd have t' be in the damn sewers still... Ya must travel here a lot, huh..?" Barney was trying his best to lighten the mood, making fun of Gordon's clear understanding of the whole area.

Gordon, however, did not respond to the other. He was looking around the dark area they were stuck in, listening for anything that could be trouble. There was then a shout from behind, which caused the HEV suit wearer to spin around to face Barney. He was missing, at least from what Gordon could tell. Then the scream came again, further away now, and he ran right after it. He had to make sure not to slip as he ran, trying to call out to the other with whatever voice he had left.

He soon rounded a corner and saw him, Barney, but..he was too late. Gordon took a step back in shock, dropping his crowbar. His "friend" slowly approached the sound, his voice combined with those of the classic zombie. Gordon already knew what he had to do, but he didn't know if he could go through with it. The being slashed at his face, knocking Gordon's glasses off as well as leaving some deep gashes. Gordon stumbled back, falling to the ground while looking up fearfully at the being. He had to do it, no matter how much it hurt.

He hopped back up to his feet, grabbing his shotgun from off his back and aiming it at the other. The being, surprisingly, stood there still. Gordon shook a bit as his grip on the gun tightened, tears and blood now streaming down his face. He let out a shaky breath, sniffling slightly. "..Goodbye, old friend..." A gunshot rang out through the dark sewers as the being fell to the ground in a bloody pile. Gordon dropped his gun to the floor, backing away from the body that used to belong to his friend. He slid down the wall, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them tight. He quietly sobbed, hiding his face out of shame and regret.

He let this happen, this was all his fault. The other's voice played out in his head, just adding to the pain Gordon was already feeling. He sobbed even louder, starting to shake violently from the huge waves of emotions. And that's where he remained, soon passing out from exhaustion. What was he going to say to the others?

Gordon jumped awake, holding his head in his hands and sobbing loudly. _'It happened again.'_ He thought to himself. He hadn't slept in weeks due to his constant nightmares.  
There was a soft knock on the door before it slowly opened to reveal Barney, standing there in basic civilian clothing. "Gord'n? Buddy, ya alright in h-" He gave the other a very worried look as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to him.  
Gordon almost instantly clung to him, sobbing into Barney's chest as he shook. Barney was alive, and in his mind, that's all that mattered right this second.  
Barney slowly wrapped his arms around Gordon, sighing softly as he kept his worried look. "We gotta get these nightmares under control, Gord'n, I swear..." He kept his voice low, not wanting to also wake the others up.  
Of course, Gordon said nothing in response, only tightening his grip on Barney as the tears kept flowing. The other just sighed again, rubbing Gordon's back and just trying to get him to calm down.   
It had been like this for a long while, Gordon waking up crying and Barney having to come comfort him. It was routine at this point, neither really knowing what to do to fix this issue.  
So, like all nights, they just stayed there, both held tightly in the other's arms. However, on this night, they had both fallen asleep in Gordon's bed together. The others would, for sure, tease them over that in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this might be good enough to post, since I was quite proud of it. I plan on possibly writing and/or posting more Half-Life (and possibly Freehoun) content in the future.


End file.
